Insurance companies use "low-cost tours" to exploit elderly people: some have been trapped in loans, while others have suffered public humiliation

"This is a special appreciation group approved by the headquarters. Only the top 50 high - quality customers in our province have been invited."

"The company is rewarding its old customers with a VIP travel quota."

"The original price of this tour group is five or six thousand yuan. The company has subsidized most of the expenses. You only need to bear the airport construction fee and miscellaneous visa fees. It's equivalent to having a free trip."

Do families with elderly people receive similar phone calls or WeChat messages?

Recently, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced the third batch of typical cases of compulsory consumption problems in the tourism market in 2026. The content covers various illegal and irregular behaviors in the tourism market, such as unreasonably low - price tours, coerced shopping, false advertising, and unlicensed operations.

It is worth mentioning that among the thirteen cases announced, six involve agents of four insurance companies, including China Life Insurance, PICC Life Insurance, Union Life Insurance, and Ping An Life Insurance, who organized tourism activities in violation of regulations.

In fact, it is not uncommon for some insurance agents to use low prices as a gimmick to organize illegal tourism activities to "harvest" consumers, especially elderly consumers.

Qicaijing talked to three elderly people who had participated in low - price tour activities organized by insurance agents about their experiences.

The promised spring sightseeing tour ended up with a policy loan

Aunt Zhang, 66 years old, currently lives in Baoding, Hebei. She used to run a small individual business, but quit in recent years due to the poor business situation.

In early March last year, Aunt Zhang received a call from Xiao Wang, an agent of an insurance company, saying that the company was organizing a "Three - day Spring Sightseeing Tour of the West Lake" to thank its old customers. The whole journey would be in a four - star hotel, and the tour fee was free. She only needed to pay 200 yuan as an "operation fee".

Aunt Zhang thought that she had nothing to do anyway, so she invited three old sisters to go together. When they arrived in Hangzhou, they visited the West Lake and Lingyin Temple on the first day, and everything was normal. In the afternoon of the second day, the tour guide took them into a hotel conference room, saying it was a "wealth lecture specially arranged by the company".

In the next two hours, a person who claimed to be a "specially - invited financial advisor from the headquarters" appeared and began to promote an "upgraded annuity insurance product". He repeatedly emphasized that "only the VIPs on this tour are eligible to buy it", "the quantity is limited", and "it's on limited - time sale".

Source: Xiaohongshu

Aunt Zhang didn't plan to buy it at first, but Xiao Wang whispered in her ear, "Auntie, you're an old customer. If you don't buy it this time, the quota will be taken by others. And if you buy it now, the air tickets and accommodation for this tour will be free, and you'll also get a massager worth 2,999 yuan. It's so cost - effective."

Two of her sisters who went with her signed the contract on the spot. Aunt Zhang gritted her teeth and signed it too. She would pay an annual premium of 50,000 yuan for five years.

After she got home, her son read the contract and found that the terms were not much different from her old policy, and the payment period was two years longer. Even more outrageously, to make up the first - phase premium, Xiao Wang used her mobile phone to apply for a policy loan and borrowed 28,000 yuan to pay for half of the first - year's premium. Aunt Zhang didn't even know that she had signed a loan agreement on her mobile phone.

Until now, she still has to pay the interest on the policy loan every month.

Paid 399 yuan as a good - faith deposit, didn't go on the tour, and couldn't get the money back

To this day, Uncle Chen, 71 years old, still has a voice message on his phone sent by Xiao Liu, an agent of a life insurance company, in June 2025: "Uncle Chen, you've made it onto our province - wide list of high - quality customer appreciation. This six - day tour to Guilin, the company has subsidized more than 4,000 yuan. You only need to pay 399 yuan as a good - faith deposit, and you'll get it back when you return."

Uncle Chen had bought two accident insurance policies from Xiao Liu before and always thought the young man was "honest and reliable", so he transferred 399 yuan via WeChat. Xiao Liu also told him to "invite a few more old friends", and he would get a 50 - yuan red envelope for each person he invited.

Uncle Chen casually sent the message to the groups where he usually chatted with people who liked whip - cracking and fishing. Three group members responded immediately, and he received a 150 - yuan red envelope.

As a result, a week before the departure, Xiao Liu suddenly notified that "there was heavy rain in Guilin, and the itinerary was postponed". The delay lasted for three months. Uncle Chen asked about it seven or eight times. At first, Xiao Liu said that he was "still waiting for the hotel's schedule", and then he simply disappeared and didn't reply to the messages. When Uncle Chen called the customer service hotline of the life insurance company, he was told that "the registration information of this tour group couldn't be found, and the relevant agent didn't have a travel agency business license".

Only then did Uncle Chen realize that the activity Xiao Liu mentioned might not have been arranged by the company at all, but was organized privately by Xiao Liu himself.

What made Uncle Chen even angrier was that the three teammates he invited all blamed him for "leading them into being deceived". When they saw him in the community, they either gave him a cold look or avoided him. He said, "399 yuan isn't much, but it has made me lose face after all these years. No one from the insurance company has given me an explanation until now."

Visited four shopping stores in three days, and the tour guide got angry if you didn't buy anything

Aunt Li, 68 years old, still feels annoyed when she thinks about last year's tour.

In December 2025, Xiao Zhou, an agent of an insurance company, sent Aunt Li a "Christmas gift" - an invitation card for a "Five - day Winter Health - preserving Tour in Yunnan", which was printed with the words "Exclusive for VIPs · Zero out - of - pocket expenses throughout the journey". Xiao Zhou said that this was a special benefit for old customers who paid an annual premium of more than 50,000 yuan. The market price of 5,980 yuan was free, and individuals only needed to pay for the round - trip transportation.

Since retiring, Aunt Li has been longing to go to Yunnan. She couldn't miss such a good opportunity.

As a result, when she arrived in Yunnan, the itinerary completely changed. On the first day, they visited a jade store in the morning and a silverware store in the afternoon; on the second day, they visited a Pu'er tea store in the morning and a Huanglong jade store in the afternoon; on the third day, it got even worse, and they spent almost the whole day in a medicinal material store.

The tour guide said bluntly on the bus, "Your group's expenses are paid by the insurance company. You must cooperate in the shopping part, otherwise we won't be able to explain it to the company when we get back."

Aunt Li didn't want to buy anything at first, but when she saw that some elderly people in the group were given a cold shoulder by the tour guide and even ridiculed in public because they didn't shop, she couldn't stand it. She bought a jade bracelet worth 8,800 yuan, a silver belt worth 3,600 yuan, and three packs of Tianma. After she got back, she asked a knowledgeable friend to take a look, and the total market price of the three items was no more than 2,000 yuan.

What made Aunt Li even more annoyed was that after she returned to Chengdu, Xiao Zhou sent her a "Customer Tour Satisfaction Survey Form", which actually required her to sign to confirm that "no shopping behavior occurred during this tour". After she refused, Xiao Zhou immediately changed his attitude. He came to her home less often, rarely cared about her during festivals, and the reminder for policy renewal became much more perfunctory than before.

After this "exposure", Aunt Li felt both regretful and emotional: "It's really a case of learning from a setback. The tour was fake, and selling things was real; the appreciation was a lie, and the real purpose was to attract new customers."

Conclusion

From Aunt Zhang's "being forced into a loan", to Uncle Chen's "being stood up", and then to Aunt Li's "being forced to shop", these three cases seem to be three completely different experiences, but in fact, the underlying logic is the same: First, use low - price tourism as a bait to attract new customers and explore incremental customers; second, through such activities, maintain the relationship with existing customers, dig deep into the existing customer base, and encourage old customers to increase their insurance coverage.

For elderly consumers, this is a loud reminder. The "free" pie often hides an expensive price behind it - it could be an over - drawn policy, a sub - standard jade, a shamed face, or even the safety of the entire savings in their later years.

Currently, regulatory measures have been taken. Industry insiders suggest that cross - departmental joint actions should be carried out to promote information sharing and coordinated law enforcement among multiple departments such as culture and tourism, finance, and the market to prevent the disguised "low - price tour groups" from constantly changing their locations and ensure that the risks can be completely eradicated.

The top priority for insurance companies is to effectively manage their own employees and safeguard their own reputation. They should not let the illegal behaviors of individual agents overdraw the credibility of the entire industry.

As consumers, especially elderly friends, it's still the old saying: "Greed for small gains leads to big losses", and "There is no free lunch in the world."

This article is from the WeChat official account "Qicaijing", author: Hua Cheng. It is published by 36Kr with authorization.